Samantha's journey to slim down, while remaining sparkly!

Sometimes procrastination pays off! I read this article last week and was so heated I need to blog….only then I got distracted (squirrel!) and never came back to finish the post. Last night was the finale of “The Biggest Loser” and of course there was controversy. Usually the big drama is someone went home, sat on their bum and didn’t look any different. Well this time we had quite the opposite problem…and it ties in to the article!

Of course, the title alone was enough for me to be appalled – but then I read the article….

This woman, Jill was never loved by her father (and he admitted it on the Oprah show! Stay classy buddy) and decided to get gastric bypass so she could finally be thin and he would love her.

Hold up – wait a minute – are you fucking kidding me!?

Nope, she was serious. She never felt like she deserved love until she could be thin – and her own father propagated those thoughts. Then she had surgery and guess what? She ended up worse off. She is now thin…..and weak, nauseous AND she can’t have children. Complications from gastric bypass actually caused her infertility! Was it worth it to be a size 6? I vote no. I really wish that during my lifetime we could get to a place as society where your size does not define your worthiness or happiness. Going to the extreme just illustrates that there are other issues (emotional usually) being masked. Yay you’re thin! Oh wait, now you can’t have kids and you’re sick all the time….who cares, your dad loves you finally!

Also – I feel compelled to give my own Dad a shout-out. He supports me in any endeavor I take on and loves me regardless of what size jeans I’m rocking. Thanks Dad, I’m lucky to have you! (When I told him about the article his response was “Wow that dad sounds like an asshole”. LOL!).

Now, how does Jill and her asshole dad tie into the “Biggest Loser”? Last night’s winner, Rachel Frederickson was a contestant I was hot and cold about all season. I could relate to some of what she said….then she would totally lose me. She was a competitive swimmer as a child (and looked healthy and vibrant in photos they showed) then she gave up that dream when her parents got divorced. At this point she stopped talking to her Dad (because she thought he was angry she stopped swimming? It was all sort of confusing) then she got caught up with an idiot boy and gained weight because she never felt loved. All season she pushed hard to get back to being the athlete she used to be – which was inspiring. At the end of the season she finished the “Biggest Loser” triathlon in first place and weighed 150 pounds (down from her starting weight of 260). She looked healthy and amazing. Last night she took the stage and I literally thought it was Karen Carpenter. She was frail, weak and she looked like you could snap her in half with a hug. Given the event is live they panned to Bob Harper and Jillian Michaels for a reaction shot….their faces were pricelessly horrified:

They quickly panned away…only they couldn’t pan to the other contestants because they all looked EQUALLY HORRIFIED!!

Finally, Rachel gets on the scale and weighed in at 105. Yup, you read that right….One hundred and five pounds on her 5’4″ frame. She looked scary. She looked sickly and as my friend Sandy pointed out, she looked like she had developed orthorexia nervosa (an eating disorder categorized by an unhealthy obsession with being healthy). Her cheeks were gaunt, her arms were literally just muscle and bone – she looked as though she might drop dead.

Have a look for yourself:

Here’s another shot where I’m fairly certain we can see ribs:

Now, I posted to my Facebook saying she literally scared me – I wouldn’t recognize her if I fell over her and I have watched every episode this season. Of course, someone had to reach out and tell me “my opinion was wrong – she was healthy and beautiful and clearly an athlete“. Nope – my opinion is just that, my opinion. You can agree or disagree but I’m not wrong (and you’re not right). :)

Now, let’s say Rachel was healthy (despite all the indicators that she isn’t)….my real anger came in when I took to social media to see what people were saying. On Twitter, Instagram and Facebook I watched random girl after random girl saying “OMG she is so thin, I would kill to look like that!”. Really?! REALLY? Why don’t we have healthy role models for kids? Why don’t we teach them that there is more to life than aiming to be a size 0 if you’re not naturally a size 0? Sometimes society amplified by social media makes me sad. Why do we value weight and size above happiness or healthiness?? Where’s the logic here people!?

Did you watch “Biggest Loser”? What was your reaction? Given this is a game it has been speculated that she did whatever she had to do to win the $250,000 – including starve herself. How far would you go to lose weight?

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There has been SO MUCH in the media lately about weight that I needed to roll it all into one blog post and just give my 2 cents on everything fat related!

First let me comment on the Maria Kang “What’s Your Excuse” picture/blog. Just in case you’re not familiar this poster sparked controversy like WOAH:

I had never heard of her before – and I will be 100% honest in saying I really had no reaction the first time I saw it. I’m sorry, I know several of you reached out expecting an eloquent rebuttal – I don’t have one. The picture shows an amazingly fit woman who has mothered three children – good for her! I will ALWAYS get behind someone who is living a healthy life and making am positive change. I read through her FAQ’s and found her to be honest and refreshing:

I have been told she’s big into “fat shaming” and fat bullying….. I did some research before posting this and I could not find any instances of her bullying anyone. She’s a pretty straight shooter – but there’s a big difference between saying “I have a full time job, mother 3 children without a nanny and still get my workouts in” and “You’re a terrible mother because you’re fat” right? Right. I read so many awful things posted by total strangers about this woman that I was appalled. Sadly I think is as a society we have become obsessed with comparing our selves to others – then tearing them down. Why do we do this? Who cares if she looks like that and you don’t? She doesn’t! Who cares if she promotes a diet eating just elderflowers and doing only tai chi? It’s her life! Please stop acting as if everything on the internet is PERSONALLY addressed to you. #endrant

Now, let me address “#FatShamingWeek“. It’s the most ludicrousthing I’ve ever heard – so much so that I actually thought the person who told me was pranking me. Alas, it’s legit…. Have no idea what Fat Shaming is? Urban Dictionary to the rescue.

I was bullied a child (who wasn’t?!). It sucks. It’s brought me to tears. It’s made me question my purpose and my place in the world. HOWEVER, it’s ten times worse now than it was when I was a kid. There was no social media in the late 80’s/early 90’s – there was just playground rumors and notes passed. Now people can share their hate on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, blogs, journals and instagram – and it can go viral. We’ve heard about kids committing suicide because of the bullying. But those are KIDS. Stop for a second and imagine that their parents and other adults take on a campaign to “attack and oust the fatties” – that is what #FatShaming week is all about. Now I did look at the hashtags to see who was posting – a LOT of it was saying how stupid the “movement” was and how childish people were to feed into this. That said, just as many posts were adding in things like “Looking at fat people makes me never want to go to McDonalds again” and my personal favorite (Mom: earmuffs!) – “I would never fuck a fat bitch – I might get rolls!”. Really? THAT’S NOT EVEN FUNNY! Jeez. If you want to be nasty at least come with something clever! So, that’s my 2 cents on this ridiculous “week”. I think it’s really easy to pick on obesity because as I’ve said before – it’s a flaw you wear. No one hosts national #OutTheWinos week or national #KickaJunkie week – because alcoholism, drug addiction, gambling are all things we can hide from society. Fat is on display. You can look at me and KNOW I’ve got a problem (even if I’m on the mend).

More thoughts on Fat Shaming week that I totally agree with can be found here.

Now, just to be clear I am NOT okay with Thin Shaming either. I get annoyed when I hear people tell my naturally thin friends to eat a hamburger. Come on people, let’s accept we’re all different and move the hell on. It’s 2013! We have put people on the moon and invented cars that run on french fry oil – can we please stop picking on each other’s bodies?!
Now my last media mention – Biggest Loser. You guys know I watch religiously because I love transformation stories. I do not agree with some of the practices or some of the hoopla – but I enjoy seeing people change their lives. This season is all about Second Chances. Awesome! I love a second chance – I love seeing folks who have given up try again! Then I saw the cast….out of 15 people 2 are celebrities! Are you kidding me? One is Ruben Studdard (singer from American Idol – I never watched the show so I had to Google him, LOL) and the other is Olympian lifter Holley Manfold. I am not pleased that people who could well-afford the personal attention BL affords you are on the show – it seems like a publicity stunt on NBC’s part. There are a few other changes in the format….Jillian, Bob and Dolvett got to interview the finalists then hand-pick their teams (which just felt like watching a bunch of kids being picked for dodge ball. Weird). Also, there is a “player save”where a trainer can save a contestant from being eliminated once in the season. I would have preferred a “Voice” style Steal – Dolvett’s dude falls below and Bob or Jillian can Steal – which moves the person to their team. I LOVED that it was only an hour – especially since I forgot to DVR it. Two hours is way too long – especially since they just draw out the crying scenes. I might sound heartless but some of these crying episodes make me roll my eyes. “I remember every awful thing someone said about my weight”. Really? You’re 35. That means you’re carrying around twenty odd years of insults and bullshit? Let it go. Honestly. Life is too short to hold on to things said on the playground or at the water cooler. Hopefully this season focuses more on progress and the second chance and less on the sob stories!

Did you watch? What did you think? Are weight-loss shows overrated?

Did you have a strong reaction to the “What’s Your Excuse?” photo? Share it!

Did you participate in #fatshaming week? If you did please don’t comment – in fact please consider never commenting on anything again. :)

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I watch a lot of weight-loss shows. Despite knowing how unrealistic it is I still watch Biggest Loser and Extreme Makeover etc. religiously. I’m a sucker for transformation stories. I’m a sucker for watching people change their lives. However, there is an alarming trend amongst weight loss success stories that I am fucking sick of – and I need to rant about!

92% of people who go on one of these weight-loss shows and lose weight go home and become…..a PERSONAL TRAINER! You can get certified online (no lie) in just a few hours. It infuriates me. Not just because losing weight doesn’t make you an expert in weight loss but because they have learned unrealistic habits – things like cutting everything but vegetables from you diet to dropping 11 pounds in 5 days by working out 9 hours a day. That is NOT real life. I’ve ranted about this before. Now set that aside and I will share what really grinds my gears about this….

Every time I hear a past contestant say they are pursuing a job as a trainer (or worse – a motivation speaker – gag!) I think to myself –

What did you want to be when you were little? What’s your PASSION? What dreams did you have before you gave up on yourself? What did you want to be when you were little? What are your passions? Now….why aren’t you pursuing those dreams??

I understand that once you’ve changed your life you want to share that with everyone and their Mom – but to me it seems like a cop out. Anyone who becomes obese has more going on inside them than just a love for food. I was a workaholic, overachiever who wanted to be perfect in any capacity she could – since she had failed at having a perfect body. I’m mostly over that now. I schedule workouts and usually stick to the schedule. I don’t turn to food for comfort from stress. I’ve made awesome strides; all while succeeding at a job I really enjoy doing. I didn’t give up on my career just because I was fat.

I also understand that some people were lost before they lost weight (no pun intended) or before they found the exercise that changed their lives. So, I don’t consider Zumba instructors or people who pursue their new-found passion for healthy cooking to be in this boat. It’s the personal trainer / motivational speaker schtick that kills me.

I took to Facebook to rant about this last night and my friend Sandy had a great point I wanted to share: You know why? Because these people lost weight in a way that makes health and fitness their entire 24/7 lives. They never learned how to fit it into a normal life. Therefore, if they have a job where they’re not working out at least 8 hours a day, they are gonna pack the poundage back on SO QUICK.

YUP – exactly. I have learned how to lose SLOW (unbelievably slow) and I’ve gained and lost again. I’m human. Humans fuck up. Humans have lives outside of weight-loss and counting calories and tracking calories burned. Humans are not machines. My brother used to tell me that dreams are what separated us from the animals (pretty sure it’s a move quote I’m hacking) and he’s right. So, what are you dreaming about? What can you not wait to do once you’ve conquered a hurdle like excess weight? I can’t wait to live a more active life than I have now. I can’t wait to have a family of my own so I can pass on healthy habits to my kids and I will do that while maintaining a career I’ve had since I was 21 in a field I am passionate about!

The show started last year and I mentioned once before that I wasn’t a huge fan. I’m a little more on board with the show now. This season they focus a lot more about the person’s background (which I think is important!). What choices did you make, what circumstances happened that caused you to balloon up to your current size? You didn’t wake up one afternoon weighing more than a half-ton. Just like I didn’t wake up one morning at 400 pounds. A lot of bad decisions and wrong turns went into that number. I’m a firm believer in fixing the root of the problem instead of the side effects. I was unhappy with who I was as a person and I turned to food as a comfort, an activity etc. I can eat healthy and go to the gym or barre all I want ~ but that won’t fix what’s on the inside.

I have this saying at my desk at work, in both my phones and next to my bed:

Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.

Back to the show so the host is also the trainer, Chris Powell. I like him, I like his philosophy’s concerning weight-loss (except for one giant exception which I’ll get to in a second). He advocates healthy eating, cardio, weights and most of all – figuring out why you overeat.If you don’t know what got you lost in the first place, how can you prevent yourself from getting lost again?

His program is set up into 3 month segments – Phase 1 is three months of boot camp essentially. Phase 2 gets you read for a physical challenge of some kind (hiking, biking, triathlon) and then Phase 3 prepares you for skin surgery. During Phase 1 Chris moves in with you and transforms your house into a gym. Woo! I’m fine with this. However, I think his weight-loss goals are often entirely too lofty. In 90 days he has some contestants losing 120 pounds. Do the math – that’s 1.3 pounds a day or a burn of 4666 calories PER DAY. That’s insane + frankly unsustainable. Ya know what happens when you lose that much weight that quickly? Loose skin. Like woah. Like this:

Why does this happen? Extreme, rapid weight loss causes your skin (which is an organ) to be unable to adjust. Your skin is a living organism ~ it expands (stretch marks) and it contracts. However, it does so slowly. By losing more than 1-2 pounds a week you not allowing your skin a chance to rebuild its elasticity and go back to normal. Now, will it ever be perfect? No. You will still have stretch marks and in some cases when you lose 200 + pounds you will need to have skin removal surgery in some areas. So why am I bitching about it? I don’t like the EMWL goal of Phase 3. Skin surgery. EVERY contestant has it and every contestant is excited about it. Skin removal surgery is a HORRIBLY painful process – why would you WANT to lose so quickly it became your only option? Oh right, because you’re on a game show. In addition skin surgery can be looked at like corrected vision surgery. You must maintain your current prescription for X amount of time (I believe it’s a year) before you can undergo laser eye surgery. On the show you literally hit a weight-loss mark and BOOM – you qualify for surgery. No maintenance required! This is (in my mind) a very bad practice. When you reach a goal there needs to be a level of maintenance to ensure you’re really there – you understand what’s required of you physically and mentally. Having skin surgery at the 9 month marker is instant gratification. If you haven’t learned anything ya know what happens? You’ll balloon back up to where you were.

I feel strongly that gastric bypass is not a choice for me – you guys know that – but the reason I’m so against it is tied in with what irks the shit of out me about this show. With GB you don’t learn to eat – you can still eat cupcakes and ho ho’s – just not as many as before. Hell you can lose 200 pounds and go right back to where you started if you’re not careful. Your skin (which is now scarred) will stretch back out and you will be right back in the same pickle you were in before….only now you have physical scars to remind you of your failure.

Do the contestants look amazing? Of course. This is Mike – he went from 493 to 238. He’s a different person! Oh and he also had almost 3 FEET of loose skin removed. Needless to say there are no pictures of the “after” showing the scars.

So, that’s my beef with the show. Yes it’s got some merit but dammit, why rush the process? Why advocate for dangerous surgery when it could (hopefully) be avoided.

I am losing weight. SLOWLY. Sometimes at a snail’s pace! But, I am keeping it off and learning a lot in the process. What I ate on a day-to-day basis 2 years ago is world’s away from what I eat now. How I feel about myself is also world’s away. I don’t want to be skinny – I want to be strong. I don’t have my mind set on a number I must weigh or a size I must attain (though for a long time 143 was the number and 8 was the size). I’ve come to a point in my life where I want different things. I want to be curvy yet strong. I don’t want to rush this process and end up looking like Frankenstein. Of course, that’s me – you’re welcome (as always) to your own opinion. That’s what makes this great nation so great – to each their own.

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A. A cool rock band from Nebraska that was huge during the 90’s and had hit songs such as “All Mixed Up” and “Amber”.

B. The non-emergency number for NYC

C. The weight I have been stuck at for longer than I care to remember.

D. All of the above.

If you guessed D, you’re correct! Once again, I am back at 311. I feel like there’s something blocking me from getting lower…and I can’t figure it out. It must be mental, because I have been doing great at the gym (going nearly every day and getting in good workouts). My diet hasn’t fluxed too much…and I have been cutting out coffee at night as much as possible to prevent headaches. What the heck am I doing wrong?!

(I wrote that last night and this morning I think I figured it out)

I have been stressing lately and when I’m stressed, I eat. When I stress eat I forget to write down what I’ve eaten! A quick mental tally and I am over my daily allowance by about 500-700 calories a day. EEP! So, I pulled out the ole food tracker and I’m back in the saddle.I hate writing down what I’ve eaten – but I know it’s a necessary evil!

This set back got me thinking about Courtney from Biggest Loser. She was my absolute favorite contestant in the history of the show. Sweet, funny and so POSITIVE all the time! Honestly, it was almost annoying how optimistic this girl was, haha. Well, she got stuck in a rut and ended up being sent home. The contestants are still vying for an at-home prize, so they aren’t allowed to do camera interviews, but I read in OK! magazine that she was doing AMAZING and can’t wait for the finale. She said the secret to her success is to just keep fighting. A blip from the interview can be found here. Here’s Courtney’s before and after. I’m printing them out and sticking them on my fridge!

Courtney Crozier was once 435 lbs. She and Mom Marci were contestants on the BL.

Courtney has lost 230 lbs since she first started her journey at a weight of 435 lbs. (Photo: Marc Royce)

I love this girl so much – and I swear, looking at her inspires me to get my shit together! :) Together Marci and Courtney have lost 310 pounds….that’s me minus 1 pound! Wow. Just wow!

I leave for Cali for vacation in a week. I’m excited. I have 12 hours of bellydancing classes planned – which means a TON of cardio, woo! Our hotel has a pool (swimming!), a full gym (good workouts!) and a hot tub (recovery!). I’m really excited. Oh and we have our photoshoot with Pixie!! Since that post I’ve gone down 1 pants size and about 30 pounds. Not bad, but I could have done better. That being said, I fit into the pants I REALLY wanted to wear for my photoshoot with her! YAY! So, there’s a silver lining to every cloud. :)

I have been thinking about some good challenges to get me under 300. When I get back I am starting a strict low-sodium regimen (right now I am eating WAY too much salt..and I have the bloated feet to prove it!). I’m also going to try to hit 1 hour of exercise (any form) every day. I will be seeing my BFF Julie in NYC for July 4th weekend. That will be 5 weeks from my first day back in Boston – I think I can get to 290 in 5 weeks (21 pounds) and when I do, I will be as small as I was in college when we met! Woo! How’s that for motivation?! Of course, in college I had the worst hair everrrr, thankfully that’s been rectified!

Picture proof:

2004 - worst hair EVER!

I still have another weigh-in Friday and I have my fingers crossed for a number other than 311!!

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Ya know what they picture and me have in common? We’re both plateauing.

All cheesiness aside….I am stuck. I’m at 323 and holding, which isn’t bad, but it’s not exactly where I thought I would be with just 2 weeks to go until Vegas. I haven’t tried on my black pants….I’m too scared to be disappointed. Of course, I have a back up pair of pants for the show but they’re not nearly as divine.

I wish I could tell you that my Lent challenge was going amazing- but I’d be lying. It’s HARD! Giving up alcohol was easy (believe it or not!), giving up desserts has been pure agony. I am a SERIOUS sweet addict! I think I’m going to challenge myself again to give up desserts from April 18th- May 17th (the day I come home from Vegas til the day I leave for vacation). I always knew I loved sweets but I have never been so aware of how often I eat them before! I also realized one of my triggers is watching the Food Network. Anytime I see someone making sweet things, I want them! Top Chef and Chopped both don’t bother me (more so because I’m focused on the “competition” angle, if you will. Sidenote: I want Richard Blais to win!) – but “Food Network Challenge” (the show where they make CRAZY cakes….oh man, it’s pure torture. So, I had to give up watching shows that make me hungry too! :) I’ve cheated again since I last confessed (haha) – I had a cannoli yesterday. It was a crappy day and I once again needed sweets for comfort. I don’t understand myself sometimes. I KNOW it’s bad for me, I KNOW I gave it up until Vegas….but when I WANT something everything I know goes out the window!

Anyone else feel this way?

My exercise level has been good – I’m proud of how hard I’ve been working in the gym. Of course, I need to get there more – but the 4 times I got there last week were all good workouts. Listening to motivational songs is helping (which might sound lame but it’s true!). Last night I was pedaling away on the recumbent at a faster rate than usual and thinking “Well, I could just stop now, I don’t want to overexert myself” and what song came on the shuffled playlist? “You Get What You Give” by the New Radicals. “Don’t let go! You got the music in you.” Somehow, hearing that forced me to push on.

I’ve been really inspired by Courtney from the Biggest Loser; the girl is a rockstar. Before coming to the show, she lost 112 pounds on her own. That takes determination! She’s always so sunshiney and positive, it really makes me want to keep trucking, even when the road isn’t smooth. She is my favorite contestant on the season – I really hope she wins. So often shows like this end up with a winner than worked the hardest just to get to the end and then falls off. She is someone who will stick with this for the rest of her life, hands down.

I haven’t chatted about snacks lately, so I should mention my current favs. I made a trip to Trader Joe’s for lunch and some snacks earlier this week and when I got back there was a “Kind” bar in my bag. I checked my receipt and I didn’t get charged for it, so I considered it a freebie and tried to today. It was DELICIOUS! Holy mackerel I am totally buying more. 190 calories (perfect for a snack) and 50% of all the vitamins/minerals/antioxidants you need in a day. Pretty rad. They come in yummy flavors too (I had Cranberry Almond) – including Coconut which might be delish….but will give me hives. Wah.

Do you guys go through waves of favorite snacks? Do you switch them out based on the weather? Soon I will be able to get nice, fresh berries and I’m excited for that. I’m also excited to get over to Wilson Farms in Lexington this weekend (hopefully!). It’s an AMAZING farm stand with local and globally sourced organic fruits and veggies. A true New England gem! Do you guys shop at farm stands when possible? I had never really thought of where my food came from (naive I know) but my brother is really into knowing the origins of what you eat and that has made me think.

On the docket for the weekend: lots of gymming, visiting WF hopefully and enjoying some matzo and eggs! I am not Jewish (but according to my friend Brad I am an honorary member) but I grew up eating matzo and eggs (thanks Mom!) and it’s almost Passover, so the stores are stocked! YAY!

For reference, this is matzo and eggs. Mmmmmmmmmmm!

Have a great weekend everyone! :)

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While trying to kick my cravings – I have taken to writing down every single thing I crave in a memo on my BB (it’s getting ridiculously long). Tuesday at 3:15pm I was overcome with a craving for chocolate. I ALMOST broke down…but wait, I have NO snacks at my desk! Now, I normally keep a plethora of stuff at work…but I have recently been infiltrated by an angry mouse. He destroyed all my snacks (probably with friends). To make matters worse, he shit on my popcorn. Asshole mouse.

Anyways, so my desk is barren of snacks. I REFUSE to go to the vending machine. Refuse.

I dig in my purse. Surely I have something I can appease myself with right?? Enter: Extra Dessert Delights Gum.

I always laugh when I watch Biggest Loser and Bob goes on and on about gum. Who thought gum could curb a craving?! Not me. :)

Of course, I’m not thrilled with the idea of sugar-free (because of all the additives) – but if it prevents me from eating something I shouldn’t, I’m all for it!

I wonder if someone from Wrigley’s will see this post once I’m skinner and want to endorse me? I could totally be a Wrigley’s girl – I’m way less annoying than the Orbitz girl! Dontcha think? ;)

Now, I have been religiously watching “I Used to Be Fat” and of course “Biggest Loser” and I figured I should post my 2 cents at some point. :)

I loved the first episode of “IUTBF” with Gaby, but I HATED Marci. I wanted to slap her for being so damn whiny. She looked amazing at the end, and I loved her trainer – but I still wanted to slap her. I also was disappointed that her focus was cute clothes at a snobby boutique. Really? I denno – I guess I need to remember what it was like to be 18. :)

The third episode was Dominick – and in case you didn’t see it, I won’t spoil it. I liked him, he reminded me a lot of someone I know (who shall remain nameless). I could relate to his mom wanting to make people happy with food. I can’t even think of how many times I have made someone cookies when they’ve done me a favor. In retrospect I think most of my life I have though of food as love/appreciation. Hmmmm! Anyone else have this problem??

Now, let’s chat about “BL”. My BFF Jewels and I love this show – but she’s been on vacation in Hawaii (that bitch!) ;) so I have only had my mom to gossip about it with. So, this season has (in my mind) much more likable people. It also has two of the fattest contestants ever (Courtney and Arthur). It’s scary when you look around a grocery store or the mall and realize just how much of the population is overweight. How did we become the fattest nation?!

The “twist” this season is there are 2 sets of trainers. Bob and Jillian…and “the unknowns”. So NBC is being a bit dramatic. The “unknowns” haven’t been introduced and are training in a secret location in Malibu. Of course, being as nosey as I am – I Googled it to find out who they were: Cara Castronuova and Brett Hoebel. Thank you to Lisa Johnson for the info! Both seem like interesting choices. From what I’ve heard (sound-bytes from the show etc.) – they’re both very no-bullshit, which is good. However, I do wonder if Cara has any training at all….but, either way I’m excited for a new twist. I’ll be interested to see what happens next season since Jillian Michaels is leaving the show. One/both of them must be staying right?

Sidenote: Anyone else remember Kim Lyons? I hated her on the show. She annoyed the crap out of me.

Anyways, enough gossiping – back to the point! The contestants are way more likable, and they all seem to be pretty driven. I’ve noticed them using equipment I’m dying to try – but they don’t have at my gym – including Jacob’s ladder, a hand bike (I think that’s the right word) and they’ve worked a lot harder than I work. Now, I know they exercise as a job and are competing for money…but it forced me to remember to step my game up.

Arthur is 5’8″ and 507 pounds and this past episode he RAN for 30 seconds on the treadmill. If he can do it, I can too. I have no reason I need to wait until I hit a magic number to start pushing myself on the treadmill. If I’m planning to jog a 10K by October I better be putting in some serious work starting NOW.

Oh, and this season’s contestants have already started using the spin bike and having a Bob spin class! I have been talking about trying spin forever, but I keep saying I’m not strong enough. Maybe I need to bite the bullet and try?

OK – so the goal for the rest of the month: get my butt on the treadmill and jog for 30 seconds a few times!

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*Samantha*

425 pounds on the left, 300 pounds on the right!

Welcome to my blog!

Hi!
As you may have guessed by the title this is a chronicle of my journey to slim down while remaining sparkly and fabulous. I started blogging back in July of 2010 as an avenue to discuss not just weight-loss but also health, exercise and challenges I faced while transforming my body. I believe in eating real, natural foods (no shakes, frozen meals, supplements etc) and I believe in the power of a good sweat. Currently I am loving Zumba, barre-style workouts, Pilates and circuits. My weight has fluctuated, my approach has changed but my desire to better myself has always been present through-out the blog.
Thanks for reading!